Subterranean Fauna from Siberia and Russian Far East ______ENCYCLOPAEDIA BIOSPEOLOGICA (Siberia-Far East Special Issue)
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Research Article ISSN 2336-9744 (online) | ISSN 2337-0173 (print) The journal is available on line at www.biotaxa.org/em Subterranean fauna from Siberia and Russian Far East _________________ ENCYCLOPAEDIA BIOSPEOLOGICA (Siberia-Far East special Issue) CHRISTIAN JUBERTHIE1, DIMITRI SIDOROV2, VASILE DECU3, ELENA MIKHALJOVA2 & KSENIA SEMENCHENKO2 1Encyclopédie Biospéologique, Edition. 1 Impasse Saint-Jacques, 09190 Saint-Lizier France; e-mail: [email protected] 2Institute of Biology and Soil Science, 100-letiya Vladisvostoka Av. 159, 690022 Vladivostok, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] 3Institutul de Speologie "Emil Racovitza", Academia romana, Calea 13 Septembrie, 13050711 Bucarest, Roumanie Received 20 March 2016 │ Accepted 25 November 2016 │ Published online 29 November 2016. Abstract Description of the main karstic regions of Siberia and Far East, and the most important caves. Survey of the subterranean species collected in caves, springs, hyporheic and MSSh. Relationship with the climate and glacial paleoclimatic periods to explain the paucity of the terrestrial fauna of Siberia. Persistence of some aquatic stygobionts (Crustacea), and richness of the subterranean fauna of the Far East, particularily in the Sikhote-Alin. The Crutaceans of the eastern part of the Ussury basin and Sakhalin Island have relationship with the Japanese and Korean fauna. Key words: karst, caves, springs, MSS, subterranean fauna, biogeography. 1 Generalities and History The study of caves in Siberia was begun in the late 17th century (Tsykin et al., 1979), but the first published report were made as early as in the 18th century by swedish geographer P. von Strahlenberg who in 1722 visited the cave on the Yenisei river bank above Krasnoyarsk and gave a short description, which is considered the first report of caves in Siberia (Strahlenberg, 1730). Then, in Federation of Russia the subsequent description of karst forms and caves were made by extensive expeditions of St. Petersburg Academy, following the conquest of huge territory of Siberia (Gorbunova, 1987). The first detailed field manual on caves was published by J. Gmelin (Gmelin, 1751) as result of the Great North Expedition carried out between 1733 and 1743. The period from 19th century to early 20th century is characterized by increase of data about the karst and caves in the Russian Empire, supported by expeditions in Western, Central and Eastern Asia, and the Far East (Kler, 1938; Gorbunova, 1987; Bersenev, 1989; Kadebskaya, Maximovitch, 2012). 2 Karst, caves, aquifers The karstic zones covered in the former URSS 14 677 000 km2. The karsts are developed in Permian rocks (17 %), Carboniferous (16.3%), Cambrian (14.6 %), Devonian (14.5 %), Cretaceous (13.6 %), old Ecol. Mont., 7, 2016, 507-529 SUBTERRANEAN FAUNA OF SIBERIA AND RUSSIAN FAR EAST Proterozoic (7 %), Ordovician (6.6 %), Silurian (3.7 %), Neogene (2.6 %), Triassic (1.8 %), Paleogene (1.5 %) and Jurassic (0.8 %) (Gvozdetski, 1965, 1981). A continuous permafrost is present in the northern part of the Siberia and often with a thickness of 200 m, whereas a fragmented permafrost characterizes the southern mountainous part, where it disappears in valleys. The Siberian karsts suffer of hard continental climate, linked to the great Siberian anticyclone centred on the Irkutsk Plateform. The climatic changes of the last decades have induced recession of the permafrost on almost all regions. For instance, it disappeared of the Baikal region and its thickness have strongly decreased in the upper Lena basin. To day, in the Irkutsk region the winter temperatures of –35 °C becomes scarce and in summer periods with temperatures over 25 °С are more and more lengthy (Salomon & Pulina, 2005). We distinguish, based on morpho-structural criterions: in eastern Siberia, the Siberian Plateform which covers about 2.9 millions km2, with outcrops of limestone and gypsum covering more than 500,000 km2. They are located in the permafrost zone or at its nearest periphery; - The regions more southern, were the karst covers about 80,000 km2. The karstic phenomenas were developed in two types of geologic rocks: on the one hand in the old Precambrian rocks of the Baikal orogenesis which consists in marbles and lens of metamorphic rocks, on the other hand in younger rocks (evaporits, Jurassic gypsum) and non-metamorphic limestones. Caves. The karstic caves were developed in rocks from a wide range of geological age: Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Triassic, Jurassic, in limestones, dolomites, mixted carbonate rocks, carbonate conglomerates, and gypsum. Pseudokarstic caves are known in sandstones and volcanic lava. There are more than 1.400 caves in Siberia, widespread along the south of the area: Gornyi Altai, the East Sayan Upland, the Primorsky Range, the Priolkhonskoye Plateau near the Lake Baikal, the southern area of the Central Siberian Upland, and in the Far East the Sikhote-Alin, and the Sakhalin Island. Paleontological investigations have been carried out for over 150 years in more than 100 caves of southern Siberia and Sakhalin Island. The bones of nine species of bats were found in the caves of the Far East and six species in Transbaikalian and Sakhalin caves (Myotis, Placotus, Murina and Ambliotus). Karstic aquifers. There are extensive karstic aquifers below the permafrost. Cryochemical processes are actif below the permafrost givin, streams and lens of water strongly mineralised, and mineralized spring. We distinguish, several karstic regions: Altai-Kuznetski-Sayan, Baikal, Transbaikalie and northern Siberia, Far East. Hyporheic (Interstitial) habitat of surface rivers were particularly explored in the Far East region. 2.1 Altai, Baikal and Irkutsk Plateforme, Central Transbaikalia and Northern Siberia Altai-Kuznetski-Sayan (fig. 1: 4). In the southern mountainous Siberia we can distinguish several karstic regions in Cambrian and Devonian carbonated rocks, and also in Ordovician dolomite, marble, and conglomerate. On the Altai Mountain and Kuznetski Massif, Eastern Sayan, about 675 caves have been explored (Marinin & Tolmachev, 1981; Tsykin, 1990; Filippov, 2003). In the Kuznetski Plateau and the Gornaya Shoriya, between Kemerovo and Krasnojarsk, more than 100 caves are know in Cambrian, the longest are the Yashchic Pandory (19,100 m), Fantaziya cave (6.2 km) and Korolëva (5.07 km). The Gorniy Altai Mountains contains more than 400 caves: the largest are the Altayskaya (4.75 km, 248 m deep), Kekrash (2,300 m), Turkushkaya (1,400 m, 218 m deep). In the East Sayan Upland, 175 caves are recorded. The Bolshaya Oreshnaya (5,250 m) is the longest caves in the world in carbonated conglomerate. Others caves are known in Ordovician conglomerate: the Badzheiskaya (5.9 km), Temnaya (2,500 m). The Karbonatitovaya cave is the only one in carbonatites known in the world. We have only reduced data about the cave fauna of these regions. Irkutsk Plateforme and Baikal (fig. 1: 5; fig. 2; fig. 3). The Irkutsk Plateform and the western Baikal region consist of Baikal Mountains which run along the western slope of the Baikal Lake and a large 508 JUBERTHIE ET AL. plateform where the Lena rise in. The upper basins of the two large rivers, the Angara and the Lena, cover this region. Figure 1. Karst of Siberia and Russian Far East. – 1. Carbonated rocks and locally sulfated (studied and recorded). – 2. Carbonated rocks and locally sulfated (estimated). – 3. Sulfated rocks (salt). – Numbers: 4 – Altai, Kuznetski, Saiansk. – 5. Irkutsk Plateform. – 6. Patomskoye Mountains. – 7. Middle Lena valley. – 8. Anabar region. – 9. Anhydrite karst of Kempendal. – 10. Anhydrite karst of Norwinsk. – 11. Gypsum and Anhydrite karst of the Poutoran Plateau. – 12. Karst of the Uchur and Maia rivers and valleys. – 13. Amur, Khor valleys and Sikhote-Alin Mountain ridge (after Pulina, 2005; modified; map Bernard Juberthie). The region is limited to the south by the eastern Sayan Mountains. The karst covers 350,000 km2. It consists of Cambrian limestones and dolomites, and in addition Cambrian gypsum and anhydrite karsts. The karstification was developed in Cambrian gypso-carbonated series which lie upon the Precambrian base, and in the complex of interstratified of carbonated rocks with gypsum 200 to 400 m thick. On the top of gypsum, mainly in the southern region, Ordovician and Jurassic carbonated beds lie which contain coal, and also Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. The “sukhodoly” are karstic forms characteristic of the Siberian karst. They are elongated depressions in bottom of dry valleys from several hundred metres to some kilometres in length. Entrances of subterranean passages and large caves can be present (Pulina, 1992, 2005). The karstic aquifers of the Plateau receive high quantity of waters from rivers, however the plateau is located in center of the Siberian anticyclone characterized by a low level of annual rains (403 mm at Irkutsk, 378 mm at Bataganska). Numerous caves are located on slopes of valleys (fig. 3). The largest are: the Batovskaya cave (40 km) the longest maze cave in Russia, Argaracanskaya cave (8.3 km), Balaganskaya cave (1.6 km), Grebnevskaya (1 km), and the Kundugunskaya (1 km). At least 13 caves have more than 500 m in length, the deepest is the Kuturyskaya (-144 m) (Filippov, 1993, 2003; Pulina, 2005). Usually they consist of horizontal passages in zones of subterranean waters running. They present several levels of passages consequently to changes of the basic level (Trzcinski et al., 1977; Trzcinski, 1996; Vologodsky, 1975; Pulina, 2005).